British experts on plant biology, nutrition and health have developed a super brocolli called Beneforté that contains higher levels of glucoraphanin, a natural nutrient that has been linked to lower rates of heart disease and some cancers and also boosts the body’s supply of antioxidant enzymes.
The new brocolli is the result of a collaboration between two world-leading UK research centres: the Institute of Food Research (IFR) and the John Innes Centre, both in in Norwich, England. Scientists at the two centres have been working to understand what makes brocolli a super food. Their research is funded by a strategic grant from the government-sponsored Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The scientists used conventional cross-breeding methods to develop the new brocolli, which contains two to three times the level of glucoraphanin than standard broccoli. No genetic engineering was involved: it took them 14 years to create Beneforté, which is a hybrid of a traditional British brocolli and a wild, Sicilian variety. The super vegetable now has a European patent.
The story behind Beneforté started in the 1980s when scientists from John Innes Centre went on a world-wide hunt for wild, uncultivated broccoli varieties that could provide higher levels of phytonutrients. They found what they were looking for in Southern Italy: a wild broccoli variety which had the unique ability to naturally produce higher levels of glucoraphanin than traditional broccoli.
They cross-bred the wild variety with commercial broccoli and one of the selections became the parent of Beneforté. The challenge was not just to preserve the high levels of phytonutrients, but also to produce a good-flavoured brocolli.
According to an AP report on Wednesday, Professor Richard Mithen of the IFR describes vegetables as a ready “medicine cabinet”. He told told Associated Press Television that when you eat Beneforté, you “get a reduction in cholesterol in your blood stream”.
He said in a press statement earlier this month that the joint research has led to “new insights into the role of broccoli and other similar vegetables in promoting health, and has shown how this understanding can lead to the development of potentially more nutritious varieties of our familiar vegetables.”
“Now there will also be something brand new for consumers to eat as a result of the discoveries we have made,” he added.
Beneforté broccoli grown in Britain is already selling in Marks and Spencers stores around the UK. Other supermarkets are expected to start selling it next summer.
Broccoli is the only well known vegetable that contains meaningful quantities of glucoraphanine, a naturally occurring plant-based nutrient that the gut converts into the bioactive compound sulforaphane, which then enters the bloodstream.
There is a lot of evidence of the likely benefits of sulforaphane, such as reducing chronic inflammation, preventing the uncontrolled cell proliferation that occurs in the early stages of cancer, and helping produce antioxidant enzymes.
The IFR scientists suggest this evidence might explain why people who eat a few portions of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (also called “brassicas” or cabbage family) every week have been found to have a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. (Other brassicas include cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and the Chinese cabbage bok choy or pak choi).
The IFR say their own studies have shown that eating Beneforté results in two to four times the level of sulforaphane in the blood compared to normal broccoli.
Also, a collaborative study between IFR scientists and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (Traka et al, in PLoS One Jul 2008), found that men who ate a brocolli-rich diet showed changes in gene activity linked to tumor survival and growth. These changes were similar to those reported in studies that showed men who ate lots of broccoli had a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
Science Minister David Willetts described the new brocolli as a “fantastic achievement”. He said it shows the quality of research that is done in the UK, and its ability to drive economic growth.
“This excellent work has led to the development of a highly commercial food product that will be both grown and sold in the UK, giving a real boost to agriculture, our personal health and the economy,” he added.
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of the BBSRC, said this was a great example of how our ever increasing understanding of plant and human biology produces commercial innovation.
“What’s really exciting about Beneforté is that it’s something that comes from British scientific research and is available for anyone to buy in the shops and try for themselves,” said Kell.
For information on Beneforté in the US click here.
Written by Catharine Paddock PhD